China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday that Beijing had agreed with Washington to lift existing trade tariffs between the two nations in phases. Gao Feng, a ministry spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry, said that both sides had agreed to simultaneously cancel some existing tariffs on one another’s goods, according to the country’s state broadcaster. The ministry spokesperson said that both sides were closer to a so-called “phase one” trade agreement following constructive negotiations ov

Last week, Taiwan posted 2.91% on-year GDP growth in the third quarter of 2019, bucking the sluggish trend displayed by trade reliant Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. Taiwan’s growth in the July to September quarter beat the forecast of 2.5% in a Reuters poll of analysts and was higher than the 2.4% growth recorded in the second quarter of 2019. The latest data read could benefit incumbent Tsai who is seeking a second term on the back of rising approval ratings. Support for Tsai got a boost

Shares in Asia were set to trade little changed on Thursday amid reports of a potential delay in the signing of a U.S.-China trade deal. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 23,310 and its counterpart in Osaka was at 23,280. Shares of Softbank Group will be watched on Thursday, after the Japanese conglomerate announced its first quarterly loss in 14 years on Wednesday. Meanwhile, shares in Australia edged up in early trade, with the S&P/ASX 200 about 0.3% higher. Investors will watch fo

Traveling abroad can be expensive, but it’s even worse when you have a credit card that charges you foreign transaction fees. Thankfully, there are a number of credit cards geared specifically toward travelers that don’t charge foreign transaction fees. These days, it’s practically standard for travel rewards cards to not charge foreign transaction fees, as you’ll find in CNBC Select’s roundup of the best travel credit cards of 2019. Best for Dining Out and Restaurants: Capital One® Savor® Cash

In 2016, less than a year into founding his financial services consulting company, Kishan Patel, then 24, was close to landing his first half-million-dollar contract. Even though Patel’s company, Kunai, had already passed through several phases of vetting, the potential client had one final request: a site visit. Kishan Patel CEO, KunaiHis first six months in business, Patel says he constantly thought about giving up. Rather than focusing on what would make money, bringing in clients, Patel says

If you’re looking to apply for a credit card, you may wonder if there’s a best time to submit an application. Before you apply for a credit card, you should take a moment to consider why you want a new one. Below, CNBC Select takes a look at the best times to apply for a credit card. A good time to apply for a credit card is when you turn 18, since that’s the minimum age requirement for opening your first card. You’re pre-qualified for a cardMany card issuers provide pre-qualification forms, whi

If you’re looking to apply for a credit card, you may wonder if there’s a best time to submit an application. Before you apply for a credit card, you should take a moment to consider why you want a new one. Below, CNBC Select takes a look at the best times to apply for a credit card. A good time to apply for a credit card is when you turn 18, since that’s the minimum age requirement for opening your first card. You’re pre-qualified for a cardMany card issuers provide pre-qualification forms, whi

It’s not necessarily an easy transition from military life to a civilian one. “In a lot of ways, you are taken care of in the military. “When you come out into civilian world, there are a lot of things you may be doing for the first time on your own.” He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy aboard nuclear attack submarines, before retiring in 1997. During his seven-year commission, he was awarded two Navy Commendation Medals and four Navy Achievement Medals.

Traders work before the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 12, 2019 at Wall Street in New York City. The S&P 500 rose 0.07% to 3,076.78 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.29% to 8,410.63 as big tech companies, including Amazon, Apple and Facebook, retreated. Investors largely took a wait-and-see approach as they digested the latest development on the U.S.-China trade front. Stocks hit their session lows after reports said any signing of the “phase one” U.S.-China trade

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at Dealbook conference on November 06, 2019 in New York City. NEW YORK — If it weren’t for the industrious work ethic of the Kardashians, rapper Kanye West may have been content to squander his days as “the greatest artist in human existence.” Kardashian West, for example, recently launched a new apparel brand, Skims, which is billed as “new, solution focused approach to shape enhancing undergarments.” “As far as mental health, it’s something that, you know — I thin

An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked on the tarmac at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, March 21, 2019. A person with knowledge of his thinking said he was partly referring to the documentation audit. The world’s largest planemaker submitted documentation in a key part of an approval process, already delayed by months, for a 737 MAX software upgrade in the wake of two crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed 346 people. Regulators have asked Boeing to fill in gaps i

Impossible Foods, the maker of plant-based meat, sees a “huge opportunity” in China — one of the world’s largest meat consuming markets, its CEO Pat Brown told CNBC. The company was present at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai this week, where it said it expects to serve about 50,000 free samples of its plant-based meat. “It’s a huge opportunity, a perfect opportunity for us,” Brown told CNBC’s Eunice Yoon on Wednesday. “And also help China improve its food security by being able t

Head of Facebook’s cryptocurrency project Calibra David Marcus will speak Wednesday at the New York Times Dealbook Conference in New York City. He is expected to discuss his involvement leading Facebook’s Calibra as well as regulatory scrutiny the project has faced. He’s also likely to touch on the flood of “founders” who have exited the Libra Association, which is supposed to be an independent overseer of Facebook’s libra cryptocurrency.

Facebook: We have cooperated extensively with California’s probeCNBC’s Julia Boorstin reports on Facebook’s response to California AG saying that the social media company has been dragging its feet in its 18-month-long investigation.

David Marcus, the head of Facebook’s cryptocurrency projects, on Wednesday said that Bitcoin is digital gold, but it’s not a good currency for transactions. “I don’t think of Bitcoin as a currency. That is a key market that Facebook is targeting with its Libra cryptocurrency and Calibra digital wallet. Since then, he has made multiple public appearances, including a hearing before the U.S. Senate, in an effort to spur support for Facebook’s cryptocurrency endeavors. “People don’t use a unit like

For the Kansas City Chiefs’ back-up quarterback Matt Moore, his career as a professional football player in the NFL was dwindling before the 2019 season. “I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Moore told the Kansas City Star. But in the first half of a game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 17, Moore replaced current NFL MVP and Chiefs’ starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the 24-year-old injured his knee. Only two months prior, before the season began, the 35-year-old had a different j

Tucson, Arizona’s former city council member, Regina Romero, made history Tuesday night by becoming the first Latina to be elected mayor of the city. Romero, a Democrat, beat Independent Ed Ackerley and Green Party candidate Mike Cease by roughly 87,000 ballots, reports Tucson.com. Romero, who is the youngest of six children, was raised by immigrant farm workers in Somerton, Arizona, according to her campaign website. Right now, minimum wage workers in Tucson earn $11 per hour. Romero’s historic

As the House impeachment inquiry enters a new, public phase, the White House communications office is expected to add two longtime Trump allies to its staff, where they will be tasked with running a proactive impeachment messaging operation, CNBC confirmed Tuesday. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is “very pleased” with the Bondi and Sayegh hires, a senior administration official told CNBC. The hiring of Bondi and Sayegh, both high-profile political veterans, represents a new, mor

ferrantraite | E+ | Getty ImagesYou may have the perfect plan for holiday season travel. Travelers plan to spend billions this holiday season on travel, according to the website Nerdwallet. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid so that you don’t blow your budget. Overall, booking holiday travel about three to four months out is a “good rule of thumb for unlocking cost savings,” Pandya said. Last year, travelers paid around $100 less than those who started their trip on the Saturday prior to

Advertising billboards seen in Times Square, New York CityIf you’re living in the northeastern part of the country, chances are that you’re paying some hefty income taxes. New Yorkers paid the most in state income levies — $2,249 per capita during the 2017 fiscal year, according to the Tax Foundation. Connecticut followed in second place with $2,218, while Massachusetts came in third with $2,146. In all, seven states don’t tax individual income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Wash